The present invention relates generally to mounting devices for cleaning, stripping, scrubbing, polishing, or the like applications, and more particularly relates to an improved construction for a brush-like mounting device adapted for use in detachably mounting a cleaning, stripping, scrubbing, polishing or the like pad element for use with single and/or multiple cleaning machines of the manual or automatic types. More particularly, the present invention has particular application in providing a brush-like mounting device for mounting replaceable cleaning, stripping, scrubbing or polishing pad elements for use with single and/or multiple automatic for commercial and/or industrial application.
Heretofore, various arrangements have been provided for detachably mounting a cleaning, stripping, scrubbing, polishing or the like type pad on a mounting member which, in turn, was adapted to be mounted on a cleaning or scrubbing machine. Such prior arrangements have generally included the use of various nut and bolt and/or bracket plate fastening systems. More recently, the mounting member has been provided in a form of a circular block or disc having a plurality of polymeric (plastic) filaments extending outwardly from the bottom surface of the disc for holding the pad by a mechanical gripping action. The pad has generally been made from a mass of synthetic (plastic) fibers in the form of an interwoven porous pad. In such cases, the locking action was provided by the mechanical penetration of the polymeric filament ends within the interstices provided by the fibers of the pad. It has been found, however, that such prior arrangements have not been completely satisfactory for a number of reasons.
In the case of the single brush (manual) machine, one such problem as related to the inability to properly "heel" the machines during normal usage. That is to say, the ability to tilt the scrubber head backwardly in order to raise the mounting device which carries the pad when attempting to negotiate an abutment surface, such as a door threshold or the like. Moreover, with the prior devices, (brush type) when the machine was heeled back, the pad had a tendency to become displaced requiring repositioning of the same after the machine was moved to a location past the abutment surface for continuance of the cleaning operation.
Another problem resides in the tendency of the pad element to walk-off the mounting disc during normal usage, particularly at relatively high operating speeds. Hence, in such cases the pad tends to rotate with an eccentric action which reduces the efficiency and, hence, the performance characteristics of the device otherwise obtainable where the pad is maintained in a concentric relationship with the mounting disc.
A further problem relates to the tendency of the pad element to deform, such as by shrinkage due to the inability to maintain the pad at right angles to the surface to be cleaned with a constant, generally uniform pressure during normal usage. This is a particular problem with scrubbers (automatic) utilizing multiple pad elements. Here, for example, when a pair of oppositely disposed pad elements shrink, a space or gap is produced which results in the surface to be cleaned being streaked or left with strips of uncleaned areas. In such cases, the useful life of the pad element is greatly reduced requiring continual and costly replacements of the pad elements.
Typical of prior type devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,014,318, 3,026,552 and 1,675,078.